Oracle RMAN Backup Methods Guide

There are several methods for backing up with Oracle RMAN.

1. Full Backup: A backup that includes all data files, control files, and online redo log files of the entire database.
2. Incremental Backup: Backing up only the data blocks that have changed since the last backup. Incremental backups can be divided into different levels, such as levels 0, 1, 2, based on the backup level.
3. Differential Backup: Backing up data blocks that have changed since the last full backup, unlike incremental backup which backs up only the changes since the last full backup instead of all changes since the last backup.
4. Database backup set: a file that packages all data files, control files, and online redo log files of a database, which can be used to restore the entire database.
5. Tablespace Backup: Backing up the data files and control files of a specified tablespace.
6. Datafile backup is the process of making a copy of specific data files for safekeeping.
7. Control File Backup: Backup the control file to restore the database structure information.
8. Archive log backup: backing up archived log files for restoring data changes in the database.

These are common backup methods, and depending on your specific needs and database recovery strategy, you can choose different backup methods to protect your data.